Chapter 1 - The Toxicology Report
The doctor’s words hung in the sterile hospital air like a death sentence.
I stared at Michael, waiting for him to express the same shock and horror that was currently paralyzing my chest.
Instead, my husband completely avoided my gaze.
He stared down at his expensive leather shoes, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched in his cheek.
"What do you mean by abnormal substances?" I asked, my voice trembling as I looked back at the emergency room doctor.
The physician adjusted his glasses and glanced nervously toward the hallway.
"We found a highly concentrated, synthetic chemical compound in Emma's bloodstream," he explained quietly.
"It is a rare industrial toxin that mimics the symptoms of extreme fatigue and nausea before inducing cardiac arrest."
My hands flew to my mouth to muffle the sob that violently tore from my throat.
Someone had actively and intentionally poisoned my innocent ten-year-old daughter.
"The police are already on their way, Mrs. Johnson," the doctor said before slipping out of the room to give us privacy.
I turned to Michael, grabbing the lapels of his wrinkled suit jacket.
"Who did this to her, Michael?" I demanded, shaking him as hard as I could.
He gently pried my fingers off his chest, his eyes filled with a terrifying mixture of guilt and absolute panic.
"I am so sorry, Sarah," he whispered, his voice cracking.
"I thought I had handled the situation, but I underestimated how dangerous they truly are."
Before I could even ask him what he was talking about, two uniformed police officers appeared in the doorway.
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Michael did not hesitate for a single second.
He violently shoved past the officers, sprinting down the hospital corridor and leaving me completely alone to face the police.
